The City of Olongapo (Tagalog: Lungsod ng Olongapo; Sambal: Syodad nin Olongapo) is an independent

highly urbanized city located in the province of Zambales, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has

 a population of 227,270 people in 50,300 households.^[3] Along with the town of Subic, it comprises the Metro

 Olongapo, one of the twelve Metropolitan Areas in the Philippines.

Etymology

According to popular legend, there once was a group of warring tribes who lived in the area in and around what

is now the modern city. A wise old man, seeing the perils of disunity, exerted great effort toward uniting the

warring tribes. There were, however, some who bitterly opposed his idea, and one day the old man just

disappeared.

After a long search, the old man's body was found, but with the head missing. It is said that the tribesmen

 launched search parties to locate the severed head of the man. (To the Sambal, decapitation was the only

 permissible form of assassination.^[5])

These efforts proved to be futile, and the search was eventually called off. A boy, however, vowed to himself that he would not stop searching until he found the elder���s head. He searched for weeks, but found nothing. Then, one day, he chanced upon what appeared to be the old man���s head, resting on top of a bamboo pole. The boy ran back to his people crying, ���Olo nin apo! Olo nin apo!��� (���head of the elder��� in Sambal; translates as ���ulo ng apo���^[6] in Tagalog), running hysterically from village to village. The phrase stuck, and that, according to legend, is how the area got its name, Olongapo.
To this day, the old man���s head acts as a symbol of the unity of the people of what is now a modern city History

Spanish Period

On March 8, 1885, the Spanish Naval commission authorized construction of the Arsenal at Olongapo. The

Spanish planned to make their naval station and the village of Olongapo an island, protected against attack

 by insurrectos. The Spanish Navy Yard occupied the entire area east of the Spanish Gate. Employing Filipino

 labor, they did extensive dredging of the harbor and the inner basin and built a drainage canal. The canal served both to drain the swampy area around the yard and also to form a line of defense.

Within ten years, the Spaniards had erected walls and markers to fence off the arsenal. They had shops and buildings erected. The Spanish government spent almost three decades developing the Naval Station.

Geography

 Location

Situated at the Southern entry point of Zambales and the Northwestern interior of the Subic Bay area, Olongapo

 City is approximately 127 kilometres (79 mi) north of Manila.

The city proper is located on a 6.48 km². Tidal flatland, and the city is characterized by rugged and mountainous terrain. The land area of Olongapo City is 185 square kilometers or 18,500 hectares.

Because of its peculiar geographic location - the Zambales mountains on its three sides, Bataan and Subic

 Bay at its base - development of city land is limited. Also, the territorial borders from nearby towns are not

 properly marked.

 Coordinates

Geographical coordinates in decimal degrees (WGS84)

Latitude : 14.829

Longitude : 120.283

Geographical coordinates in degrees minutes seconds (WGS84)

Latitude : 14 49' 45

Longitude : 120 16' 58

Climate

From late October through February, the weather in tropical Olongapo is relatively cool. Temperatures increase

 slightly from March to May, which are the warmest months of the year in this part of the Philippines.

The rainy season begins in June and continues through October. At times rains are heavy and flooding can

occur.

The city receives an average of 3,590 mm rainfall every year. Temperatures range from an average of around 25째C degrees in November to around 28째C in May.